Only Tibet Can Have a Book of the Dead?

Senatorial competitors Joe Sestak and Arlen Specter are going at it again. You can get the details in two posts at Pennsylvania Avenue.

Yesterday the blog ran a letter from Sen. Arlen Specter calling for a hearing on a pamphlet the Veterans Dept is developing on end-of-life care.

Today the blog went with a statement released by Congressman Joe Sestak, taking a swipe at Specter. Sestak is challenging Specter in a Democratic primary.

I also received Sestak's statement, which reads:

"As a Veteran, I read with deep concern an editorial entitled 'The Death Book for Veterans,' which accuses the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of deliberately sending Veterans a 'hurry-up-and-die message' with a pamphlet on living wills and end-of-life care. Anyone may criticize -- and, indeed, suggest improvements to the pamphlet -- but to seriously allege that an honest effort by the VA that sincerely helps families plan for the most difficult emotional experience of their lives is a 'death book' is counter to the public's and Veterans' interest.

"This is the same kind of sensationalized rhetoric and misleading accusations behind the misinformation on 'death panels' in the health care reform debate, and I am disappointed that Arlen Specter would lend credence to this insincere rhetoric by calling for a Senate hearing without, by his own admission, even reading the pamphlet.

"In the active service and as a Veteran, I've seen many attempts to use our nation's fighting men and women as a political tool, rather than truly helping assist them. What we should really be focused on -- especially those who supported the policies of the previous administration -- is restoring coverage to the nearly one million 'Priority 8' Veterans who make as little as $29,000 a year and have been blocked out of VA care since 2003; clearing the backlog of nearly 600,000 VA disability claims so they can get proper support; and passing the Caregiver Assistance and Resource Enhancement Act (H.R.3155) into law to meet the needs of those who make great sacrifices at home to provide daily care for our Nation's heroes.

"We need to give Veterans real respect, attention, and care -- not political rhetoric that fuels accusations and misinformation."

Making end-of-life information available to anyone, veterans or not, via insurance or other venue, does not mean you are trying to kill them. When Mr. J and I were having our wills prepared the lawyer suggested having a durable power of attorney included, and explained what that meant. That doesn't mean he was suggesting we try to knock each other off. As an adult, when I've had surgery, I've told the surgeon, in the presence of my husband or a nurse or both, that if something goes horribly wrong I want my organs to be used for transplant if possible. That doesn't mean I want the surgeon to have an "oops!" moment.

It is important to know the options available and the best time to think about it is before a time of crisis.